The Emergency Services Sector is a system of prevention, protection, preparedness, response, and recovery elements that forms the Nation's first line of defense for preventing and mitigating the risks presented by all hazards events. As the first line of defense and primary protector of the public and – in the direct context of national CIKR protection efforts, the other CIKR sectors – the loss or incapacitation of ESS capabilities would clearly impact the Nation's security, public safety, and morale.

The Partnership for Critical Infrastructure Security (PCIS) enables asset owners and operators to collectively work as a single voice to identify and mitigate strategic security issues affecting the critical sectors. The PCIS, through the membership of the individual sector coordinating councils (SCCs), is the collective body of the 16 private critical sectors as identified by the President in HSPD 7. The PCIS serves as the collective gateway into each of the recognized sectors through the elected chair positions of each sector.

The Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) of 2003 is a Federal law established to address the elimination and prevention of sexual assault and rape in correctional systems. PREA applies to all federal, state, and local prisons, jails, police lock-ups, private facilities, and community settings such as residential facilities. Learn how PREA affects you and your agency.

NPSTC is a federation of organizations whose mission is to improve public safety communications and interoperability through collaborative leadership. Sheriff Aaron Kennard, Executive Director of NSA, is on the governing board.

Documents

New NIJ Guide for Ballistic-Resistant Body Armor

NIJ has released a Selection and Application Guide to Ballistic-Resistant Body Armor that summarizes knowledge about body armor gained from NIJ-funded and other research over the last 13 years. This guide provides law enforcement, correctional and public safety officers with a better understanding of how body armor works and how it complies with the NIJ Standard, and provides guidance for purchasing and maintenance policies for NIJ-compliant body armor.

K-9 Burial Protocol
K9 units have been used in civilian, law enforcement and military applications for almost as long as dogs have been domesticated. Many who work with K9s in a variety of capacities understand that it is a tragic oversight that these selfless and loyal soldiers, officers, rescuers and partners are often overlooked by the communities they serve as well as the agencies and organizations that employ them. No human counterpart goes home with their partner, becomes part of the family or is expected to give up their life for their partner, but K9s do this daily, often without any more recognition than any other fixed asset. This document is an attempt to create a protocol to bring some level of uniformity in honoring these trusted companions when they finally end their vigilant watch over our lives and freedoms. These protocols are guidelines only.

The Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Intelligence & Analysis, State and Local Program Office, working with its interagency partners and with all of you, recently completed the 2013 Fusion Center Assessment (2013 Assessment). The 2013 Assessment was designed to evaluate the capabilities of individual fusion centers and the aggregate capabilities of the National Network of Fusion Centers (National Network) from August 1, 2012 to July 31, 2013. The 2013 Assessment also evaluated how the National Network applies capabilities to achieve tangible impacts on national information sharing and homeland security outcomes.

Results of the 2013 Assessment, as well as recommendations to further mature the National Network’s capabilities and performance, are captured in the attached 2013 National Network of Fusion Centers Final Report (2013 Final Report). The 2013 Final Report highlights the significant progress made by fusion centers thanks to the collective support of federal, state, and local partners, including the Directors of every fusion center across the country. We look forward to working with you over the next year to continue this support.

If you have any questions about this report or the Fusion Center Assessment process, please contact Fusion Center Support at FusionCenterSupport@HQ.DHS.GOV.

The Review represents a survey of significant cybersecurity issues as reported by independent security experts, cybersecurity news sources, cybersecurity service providers, and security research organizations. The Review focuses on issues and events that multiple sources agree were significant to the cybersecurity landscape in 2013. The Review is intended to highlight these topics of discussion and is not intended to prioritize particular issues over others, including issues not discussed in the document. References link to individual sources, but the themes are derived from multiple sources.

The Forecast represents a survey of cybersecurity predictions collected from independent security experts, cybersecurity news sources, cybersecurity service providers, and security research organizations. The Forecast focuses on those predictions that multiple sources address and is not intended to prioritize particular issues over others, including issues not discussed in the document. References link to individual sources, but the themes are derived from multiple sources.

Department of Homeland Security Disclaimer: The 2013 Cybersecurity Review and 2014 Cybersecurity Forecast are non-commercial publications intended to educate and inform personnel engaged in cybersecurity and critical infrastructure protection. Further reproduction or redistribution is subject to original copyright restrictions. DHS provides no warranties with respect to these documents, including no warranty of ownership of any original copyrights, or of accuracy with respect to the original source material. DHS does not endorse any resources linked to or referenced in these documents or the contents of such resources.